The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1887-06-25
RED SHIRT IN BATTLE,
Inc sioux Chief Spins Big Yarn for
London Reporter

London Reporter.
Eyes" continued Red Shirt, 81 will
tell you of great fight of the Sioux
Nation with the Pawnees, who were
always bad Indians. They had met our
people ON the hunt and killed them;
they had attacked our villages and car
RED away our squaws and children, and
thelr young braves came like serpents
IN the grass and stole away our horses.
The, Sioux Nation offered to make
treaty OF peace with the Pawnees, but
the bad Indians refused, and the Grand
Council of the Sioux sat down to dis
cuss how we should punish these bad
people, and every chief there spoke for
gong on the war-path. Then we made
ready to fight. 1t is fifteen years ago,
and was young chief then; but my
father, who was great chief, was on
the war-path aud l was eager to prove
myself warrior in his eyes. collected
my young men and we set out, alto
gether thirteen hundred strong, under
sixteen big chiefs. The most expert
enced warriors were sent on two days
march in advance to scout, and scouts
were thrown out on every side to guard
against surprise. For eight days our
braves marched against the enemy, and
then some spies came back and told us
that they had found the Pawnee village
Many of the Pawnee braves were on
big hunt, but nearly all the remainder
of the tribe were at the village. We
gathered around the camp without being
discovered, and the great chiefs told
the oung men how the battle was to
be fought.
mo till the signal was given for
attacklid the Pawnees find out their
enemies were near. Some of the Paw
nees wele towards and ran before we
got into lhe village, but the majority
stayed tofght for their wigwams and
to die for them. They were surprised,
and in one great dash we cleared their
lodges and wigwams. l was armed
with a long spear. Nearly all our
braves had spears, and bows and ar
rows, but many had guns, too. l ran
to a young chief who stood to guard
his lodge. He was brave and Il good
warrior, but he fell before my spear,
and his scalp adorned my belt. Near
by four Pawnee braves stood in bunch
and made a great fight against the
attacks of some of our young men. |
joined them, and with my long spear l
killed each one of those four braves,
and the scalps l added to the one al
ready on my belt. Then the fight was
almost done. The Pawnees left alive
tried to get to their fast horses, but our
young men We're too quick for them.
1t was running fight, and they were
scalped almost as they ran. l met
three women running for the horses.
Two were armed with knives and one
with a club, but killed all three. did
not take their hair. A brave boasts not
of killing women, and woman scalp
adorns not a chiefs lodge. There
was no hesitation about killing
their women and children. They
had killed ours, and revenge is sweet
to the red man. All, however, were
not killed, for we took thirty-six squaws
prisoners and carried them back to the
Sioux camp, where we were hailed with
shouts of victory, for we had brought
back with us over five hundred scalps
to show that these bad Indians. had
been punished. Besides we had all
their horses and stores and trophies to
make glad the hearts of our squaws.
THAT fight took place in the south
ern country of the Big Beaver; but the
white man holds that land now, and
the Indian has gone nearer the setting
sun. Another grand council was held
on our return, when we agreed to send
the thirty-six prisoners back to their
tribe-for we felt some pity for them
then-mounted on our best horses and
loaded with presents, and the message
we sent with them was that we had
tried to make a treaty with them, they
would not listen to our words, and they
continued to attack our people and
steal our horses. Now we had killed
all we could find except the women,
and those we sent back to tell them
how we punished bad Indians who
interfere with the Sioux Nation. "-SL
James Budget.